Loser to One
by YamaHikari
Summary: Roy loses his very first voting gauntlet in the very first round and he doesn't take it very well. After he disappears, Eliwood seeks him out.


From the beginning, they were evenly matched. However, no matter which way Roy looked at it, Ike held the advantage. Despite their similar power and speed, Ike could always slip in an extra attack while Roy tried to get his bearings. Even when Roy could get in a blow, Ike took it in stride and punished him for it.

As their swords clashed, Roy could hear the audience chanting "We like Ike!" The words rang in his head and prodded at his concentration, so much so that he didn't notice Ike's sword swinging up from below eye level. In a split second, Roy moved the Binding Blade to block the attack, but because of his delayed reaction, Ragnell dug into his side. He let out a yell then grit his teeth in pain. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, giving him the strength to push the Ragnell away and jump back.

Roy clutched the wound in his side. At the rate it bled out, it wouldn't be long until he lost consciousness.

"_We like Ike! We like Ike! We like Ike!_"

The chanting combined with the pounding of his head made it impossible to focus. Already, he could feel his grip on the Binding Blade loosen. Ike's blurred form started to move, and it took Roy a moment to realize he threw Ragnell into the air.

_Blaze Aether!_

Instinctively, Roy raised his sword, using his other hand to support the flat of the blade. A second later, Ike descended like a meteor, forcing Roy onto his back. It took all of his strength to keep Ragnell from splitting open his skull.

At that point, Roy's blurred vision could only distinguish smatterings of color, primarily the golden sword inches from his face. When Ike lifted it away, it took all of Roy's remaining strength to drop the Binding Blade on the ground and not on his face. The clattering of his sword rang throughout the arena, silencing the cheers of the audience.

Then, it exploded into roaring applause, a cacophony which grated on Roy's pounding skull.

"_We like Ike! We like Ike! We like Ike!_"

As Roy's vision began to fade, he wondered if he was dying. Before he could lose consciousness, however, warmth spread through his body and his mind regained lucidity.

Lissa crouched over him, concern etched into her face. Ike sat opposite to her, looking somewhat angry, but Roy suspected his face was just like that naturally.

"He'll be okay, but you really overdid it, Ike."

His face tensed again, looking more angry than before. "I'm sorry. I couldn't hold back."

"But he was injured!" Lissa started to pout at him, "Was Aether really necessary?"

Roy decided he didn't want to hear the rest of what they had to say, but when he moved to sit up, his head felt faint and his vision swam.

A hand caught his back, "Whoa, you're not ready to be getting up just yet!"

Another hand gripped his shoulder. "Are you alright? I'm sorry, I should have gone easier on you."

Once it felt like he wouldn't pass out, Roy mumbled, "I'm fine…"

_I should have gone easier on you._

His vision stabilized, allowing him to survey the crowd surrounding them. Everyone stood cheering and clapping endlessly _for Ike_. A feeling of disappointment dropped his stomach like a toppling spire. That could not compare to the heart-stopping moment he caught sight of a familiar flash of red hair.

_I should have gone easier on you._

Roy wanted to be anywhere but here.

Ignoring the shakiness of his legs, the dizziness still plaguing him, Roy stood and stumbled towards the exit.

"Hey, wait! You should let us take you to the infirmary!" Lissa called out. Ike watched, silent.

Despite tripping over his feet, no doubt prompting the onlookers to think less of him, Roy called back, "I'll-I'll be fine."

_I should have gone easier on you._

_Father saw._

It frustrated Eliwood to no end that he could not leap from the crowd to go to his son. Seeing Roy struggle to get up worried him, but with people pressing him from all sides, there was no way for him to move. Lilina sitting next to him looked equally worried.

As the audience began filing out, both Eliwood and Lilina rushed to the infirmary, but Roy wasn't there.

"Where could he have gone…?" Lilina began fidgeting with her hands. "I hope he's not taking this too harshly." Though she said that, both she and Eliwood struggled to believe Roy wouldn't.

Eliwood brought a hand to his face in thought. "I imagine he's found a quiet place to think. How about you check the gardens and I'll check the library."

Lilina nodded. "Alright. I'll ask some of the other heroes too."

"Good idea. If I can't find him, I'll come meet you in the garden."

With that, Lilina rushed off to the gardens. Before Eliwood could leave, Ike appeared in the infirmary.

"Ah, Roy isn't here?" Ike's eyebrows were slightly downturned.

"Yes, I'm afraid he's disappeared. What is it you need?"

Ike looked dejected at the ground. "He seemed upset, so I wanted to apologize if I offended him."

Eliwood chuckled a bit. "There's no need. I promise Roy is not angry with you."

That caught Ike's attention, "Really?"

"Yes, really." Eliwood stared off into the distance. "Roy has always been this way. Whenever he fails, he's disappointed in himself more than anyone else. While it's motivated him to grow, I've seen it tear him apart too."

"I see… Is there anything I can do to help?"

Eliwood shook his head. "I'd like to talk to him first. You did an excellent job and you have no reason to feel ashamed."

"Can I help you find him, at least?"

"I don't think that will be necessary, but if you see him, tell him to meet me in the library."

Being a crossroads for other worlds, Askr's library grew to rival the size of the entire Pheraen estate. It held more knowledge than one could ever hope to consume in ten lifetimes, much less in one. That meant Eliwood bore the daunting task of locating his son inside the vast maze of bookshelves. He hoped Roy wanted to be found, otherwise his bookworm son likely found a niche no Hero or Askran could find.

Eliwood wandered into the furthest reaches of the library, searching for the quietest, most discreet corner Roy could hole up in. After sweeping the first and second floors, Eliwood started losing hope. However, on the third floor, he discovered a break in the shelves leading to a small room lined with more books. In the center far wall, a nook had been carved out and cushioned with a window installed for both natural lighting and a wide view of the gardens.

Roy sat against the window, knees drawn up, staring absently at a book by his feet. On the floor beside him laid his cape, armor, and boots in a neat pile.

Since he didn't seem to notice his visitor, Eliwood gently knocked on the wooden shelves. Roy jumped, swinging his head to make eye contact with the intruder, but once he realized it was Eliwood, his shocked expression shifted into sadness and he turned to look out the window instead.

A sense of nostalgia filled Eliwood as he thought back to a younger Roy. When he discovered he possessed no talent for magic, he hardly spoke for a month, joylessly throwing himself at swordplay.

Eliwood took a seat opposite of Roy, taking the opportunity to peak at the book Roy was reading. One page depicted Eirika, the Restoration Lady, wielding the legendary sword Sieglinde. The other showed her wielding a magic tome.

"Reading up on some heroes? It seems Eirika stood out to you."

At Eliwood's comment, Roy took a glance at the book. He gave no reply, instead clutching his knees tighter to make himself seem smaller.

"Is it because she uses magic?"

Roy buried his face into his knees.

_Ah, I see._ "Don't be ashamed that you can't use magic. You're an incredibly talented swordsman, after all." When Roy didn't respond, Eliwood continued, "You proved that today during your match against Ike."

"I'm not…"

Roy lifted his head, keeping his gaze on his knees. The upset look on his face broke Eliwood's heart, but if he interrupted Roy now, he may not want to say anything else.

"Ike told me 'I should have gone easier on you,'" Roy's brow creased with frustration, "Even if he wasn't using his full power, he would have been stronger than me, but if I had magic…"

As Roy trailed off, Eliwood saw fit to interject, "Roy, you are not weak for losing one battle." He reached over and flipped the book shut, "There will always be enemies you cannot defeat on your own, which is why you have companions fighting alongside you. If I didn't have Lyn and Hector by my side, there's no way I would have been able to defeat Nergal. So please, don't be hard on yourself because you have different strengths."

His words seemed to have the opposite effect on Roy, agitating him rather than comforting him. Roy curled in on himself again, looking even smaller than before. Concerned, Eliwood slid closer to Roy, "Is something else the matter?"

After a moment, Roy muttered something Eliwood could not hear. Eliwood asked, as gently ask he could, "What did you say, Roy?"

Roy lifted his face enough for Eliwood to see his quivering lip, "I lost… in front of you."

All the dots connected in Eliwood's mind.

"Roy, look at me."

Once Roy met Eliwood's eyes, Eliwood raised a hand to stroke his hair. "I'm proud of you, no matter what. Even if you lost a hundred more battles, I will always be proud of you because I love you. You've been through so much, yet you always work so hard. I really couldn't be more proud, Roy."

Roy's eyes teared up and his body trembled. "Father…" The moment his voice cracked, he burst out in tears, "I'm sorry!"

"Come here, Roy," Eliwood pulled Roy towards him, drawing him into an embrace. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Roy clutched at Eliwood's tunic, sobbing. "I'm-I'm sorry!"

"It's alright, it's alright. Don't be ashamed of your tears."

They swayed back and forth 'til Roy's cries quieted and he fell asleep in his father's arms.

AN: You can find this on AO3 as well. All feedback is welcome, especially regarding the technical/structural aspects of the writing.


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